The ongoing strike at the Belgian postal service Bpost, which began on Monday, has had a significant impact on its operations.
Almost no mail carriers proceeded with their usual rounds of newspaper, mail or parcel delivery in Brussels and Wallonia; only a few have managed to undertake their service. Meanwhile, service went ahead as normal in Flanders.
According to Laura Cerrada Crespo, the postal company’s spokesperson, there are disruptions across all of Bpost’s sorting centres and distribution sites in the southern part of the country. In the capital, distribution has entirely halted, although no sorting site is blocked.
Bpost management has confirmed that mail and parcel distribution is therefore disrupted in Wallonia and Brussels, emphasising that their "priority is on social dialogue".
Despite unions announcing on Saturday that only distribution would be impacted on Monday and sorting centres would be disrupted on Tuesday, the initial plan has shifted, explains Stéphane Daussaint, the general manager of CSC-Transcom Postes.
"Some distribution offices are located at the same site as the sorting centres and staff at these offices have decided on a full blockade," he said. Consequently, Charleroi X and Liège X, two of the largest sorting centres in Wallonia, are now blocked.
As of mid-morning, the union representative was not yet in a position to comment on the extent of disruptions expected on Tuesday.
